Motion Tracking layer object offsets

I am getting up to speed with AE CS4. Up to this point, I have used only Premiere Pro.

I am working through Adobe's tutorials (Classroom in a Book) and have had a problem with Motion Tracking. The exercise involves motion tracking the arm of a ticking metronome, superimposing a star in a shape layer.

I have been able to do the motion tracking okay, and the shape layer is tied to that data. Once the tracking is complete and applied, however, the shape object is offset by about 200 px from where I had positioned it.

The shape layer has its layer transforms, but any objects on the layer have their own set of transformation properties as well. The reason for this is very good and will become apparent as you get more familiar with shape layers, but for now you have two possible solutions. Solution 1:
Apply your tracking data to a null and parent your shape to the null.
This is a good workflow anyway. I rarely apply tracking data directly to a layer. One never knows when the ability to offset or tweak will be needed.Solution 2: Go into the shape layer twirl-downs and adjust the actual shape path's transform properties

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